COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Jun 2026

MacWhisper vs Superwhisper: the honest comparison.

MacWhisper is best when you want a native Mac transcription workbench with offline files and a one-time price. Superwhisper is better for system-wide dictation across Mac, Windows, and iOS. Ottex sits beside them as our broader Mac/iOS option for dictation, meetings, and finished written outputs.

Ottex

Mac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG

Ottex is unusually broad for a young Mac/iOS-first tool: it turns dictation and meetings into emails, tickets, CRM updates, notes, and docs, but it is not the pick if you need Windows, Android, web, browser extension, or compliance paperwork.

Choose if

You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs
You want a real free path: unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac with Whisper/Parakeet, or BYOK instead of a forced subscription
You need multilingual dictation with 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules

Look elsewhere if

You need Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension
You need mature team infrastructure such as a shared workspace, API/webhooks, third-party note destinations, or assistant chat over transcripts today.

MacWhisper

Mac · Limited free · $68 one-time

MacWhisper is a strong Mac-first transcription workbench: $68 one-time gets local, offline transcription, 100+ languages, batch files, subtitles, speaker labels, and AI cleanup, but it is macOS-only and feels more like a transcript tool than a system-wide writing app.

Choose if

You want a native Mac app for private local transcription without a subscription.
You regularly transcribe audio or video files and need batch processing, watch folders, timestamps, speaker labels, and exports like SRT, VTT, DOCX, or Markdown.
You want dictation into other Mac apps with a hotkey, cleanup, filler-word removal, translation, and optional cloud/API models.

Look elsewhere if

You need Windows, iPhone, Android, Linux, web, or browser-extension support.
You need a team meeting workspace with shared memory, calendar detection, CRM/task follow-ups, templates, or collaboration features.

Superwhisper

Mac, Windows, iOS · Limited free · $7/mo · $249.99 one-time

Superwhisper is a strong pick if you want private, system-wide dictation with local processing, 100+ languages, and a reasonably priced Pro plan, but it is less convincing as a full meeting-workflow system because calendar capture, shared w

Choose if

You want system-wide voice-to-text in native macOS, Windows, or iOS apps rather than a browser-first workflow.
You care about privacy: local transcription, no Superwhisper server retention, no AI training on user data, and BYO API keys are all publicly claimed.
You want dictation plus basic meeting recording in one personal tool, with Pro at $8.49/month, $84.99/year, or $249.99 once.

Look elsewhere if

You need a mature team meeting hub with calendar integration, shared workspaces, cross-meeting search, CRM updates, or automatic follow-up drafts.
You need Android, Linux, or a browser extension as a primary platform; those are not publicly claimed in the dossier.

The evidence

What actually differs, claim by claim.

Each section opens with the takeaway. The table underneath is the receipt — every cell carries its source and the date we checked it.

Pricing

MacWhisper wins the simple paid path with a $68 one-time Pro license, but its free version only transcribes up to 5 minutes. Superwhisper is better if you want a subscription for dictation, with Pro at $8.49/month or $84.99/year and a $249.99 lifetime option, though its free tier only includes 15 minutes of Pro recording. Ottex has the strongest real free path of the three with free local AI or your own key, plus $0.

See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	M MacWhisper	Superwhisper
Free tier	YesForever free with local models and BYOK providers.	PartialFree version can transcribe up to 5 minutes; some features are Pro-only.	PartialPro features for 15 minutes of recording for free; free tier available forever
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	NoNo subscription plan	$7/moAnnual Pro is listed as $84.99/year.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription	$0.2/hourHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).	$68 one-timePro is sold as a one-time Mac license, with local transcription and optional cloud/API-key transcription providers.	$249.99 one-timeAll Pro billing options include the same features and work on all platforms.
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	YesThe app supports user-provided API keys for cloud transcription and AI providers.	YesPro includes use of your own AI API keys.
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	No public claim	YesThe pricing section advertises 40% off for students.

Platforms

Superwhisper wins platform coverage because it supports Mac, Windows, and iOS, while MacWhisper is Mac-only and Ottex is Mac and iOS. MacWhisper is the focused native Mac choice for people who live entirely on macOS. Ottex covers Apple devices like MacWhisper and adds iOS, but it loses to Superwhisper if Windows matters.

See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	M MacWhisper	Superwhisper
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac	Mac, Windows, iOS
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	YesThe product is a downloadable Mac application.	YesVendor distributes platform-specific macOS, Windows, and iOS apps.

Meetings & team memory

Ottex wins meeting capture because it supports meetings alongside dictation and file transcription, while MacWhisper has no meetings workflow and Superwhisper has meetings but is described as basic rather than a mature team hub. MacWhisper is better treated as a file transcription app with timestamps, speaker labels, and exports. Superwhisper is the middle option if you want personal dictation plus basic meetinging,

See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	M MacWhisper	Superwhisper
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	YesThe app can record meetings and transcribe the recording.	YesMeeting Mode records meeting audio and produces summaries with action items.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	YesRecording is done from the Mac app without a meeting bot.	YesDocs describe local recording by starting Superwhisper rather than adding a meeting bot.
Speaker separation	Yes	YesThe vendor lists speaker recognition.	YesSpeaker separation can be enabled in Advanced Settings.
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	No public claim	No public claim
Cross-meeting search	Yes	No public claim	No public claim
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	NoNot supported.	No public claim

From meeting to finished work

Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it can turn dictation and meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, notes, and docs. MacWhisper can clean up transcripts and supports exports like SRT, VTT, DOCX, and Markdown, but it is still mainly a transcript workbench. Superwhisper is strong for voice-to-text, but its notes and meetings story is less convincing without calendar capture, shared work

See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	M MacWhisper	Superwhisper
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	YesAI actions can extract action items from transcripts.	YesMeeting Mode highlights key decisions.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	No public claim	No public claim
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	No public claim	No public claim
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	No public claim	No public claim

Dictation & transcription AI

All three support dictation, BYOK, local options, file transcription, and 100+ languages, so the deciding factor is workflow rather than raw language count. Superwhisper wins system-wide dictation coverage because it works on Mac, Windows, and iOS with local and cloud AI. MacWhisper is better for Mac users who want dictation tied to a transcription workbench, while Ottex is stronger when per-app output rules and

See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	M MacWhisper	Superwhisper
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Whisper, Parakeet, NVIDIA Canary, ElevenLabs Scribe, Deepgram Nova, Groq, AssemblyAI, Speechmatics, Gladia, OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, LM Studio, OllamaMacWhisper lists local models and optional cloud/API integrations.	Local voice models, cloud voice models, Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, and user-connected API tokensDocs describe local and cloud voice models and cloud language models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Groq.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	YesLocal transcription runs on the Mac without uploading audio.	YesVendor says offline speech recognition runs on Mac, Windows, and iOS with no upload.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	YesUsers can choose among multiple local and cloud transcription models.	YesUsers can pick voice models and select cloud or local AI models during setup.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	No public claim
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	No public claim	No public claim

Cost

What a year actually costs at your volume.

Personal or team — switch tabs. Subscriptions are flat; usage-based pricing depends on how much you speak and meet.

You dictate about 3 h a week≈ 23,400 words at ~130 wpm

0 h5 h10 h

and sit in 4 h of meetings a weekhours you'd want captured and turned into follow-ups

0 h7.5 h15 h

Fill the gaps with:

Dictation appadded to meetings-only toolsMeetings appadded to dictation-only tools

OttexOttex Provider — PAYG$135/yrHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).

OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.

Estimates, not quotes. Striped bar segments are the cost of the second app you picked above to cover the gap — rankings use that combined total. PAYG uses hosted at-cost estimates ($0.2/h dictation, $0.5/h meetings); BYOK is estimated at about a third of that because you pay the model provider directly. Bring-your-own-key plans still pay the model provider per use. One-time licenses are amortized over 2 years. Subscriptions use published pricing, checked Jun 2026.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

MacWhisper vs Superwhisper: which should I pick?

Pick MacWhisper if you mainly transcribe audio or video files on a Mac and want a $68 one-time app with local/offline transcription. Pick Superwhisper if you want system-wide dictation across Mac, Windows, and iOS with Pro at $8.49/month or $84.99/year.

Is MacWhisper free?

MacWhisper has a free version, but it only transcribes up to 5 minutes, so it is a trial-style teaser rather than a real free workflow. The practical paid path is MacWhisper Pro at $68 one-time. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local AI or your own key.

Is Superwhisper free?

Superwhisper has a forever free tier, but Pro features are limited to 15 minutes of recording, so it is not a serious long-term dictation plan. The real plans are $8.49/month, $84.99/year, or $249.99 one-time. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local AI or your own key.

How much does MacWhisper cost compared with Superwhisper?

MacWhisper Pro costs $68 one-time, which is the cheaper paid path if you only need a Mac transcription workbench. Superwhisper costs $8.49/month, $84.99/year, or $249.99 one-time, which makes more sense if you need dictation on Mac, Windows, and iOS.

Is MacWhisper or Superwhisper safer for privacy?

Both are strong privacy picks because the input says both support local options and BYOK. Superwhisper is the clearer privacy-first dictation choice because it publicly claims local transcription, no server retention, no AI training on user data, and BYO API keys, while MacWhisper is strongest for private local Mac transcription.

Should I switch from MacWhisper to Superwhisper?

Switch to Superwhisper if you want system-wide dictation on Windows or iOS, or if you want one personal tool for dictation plus basic meeting recording. Stay with MacWhisper if your main job is Mac file transcription, batch work, subtitles, speaker labels, timestamps, and exports under a $68 one-time license.

Does MacWhisper or Superwhisper work on Windows or Android?

Superwhisper works on Windows, Mac, and iOS, while MacWhisper is Mac-only. Neither MacWhisper nor Superwhisper publicly claims Android support in the input.

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